Pipe stopper for bell and spigot type of tile

ABSTRACT

A pipe stopper is receivable in the bell of a bell and spigot pipe for plugging the bell passage. It is a molded plug of stiff set plastic having a cylindrical peripheral face which is spaced from its inner end and a peripheral seating face extending therefrom entirely to the inner end of the plug. An abrupt generally radially extending shoulder extends between the adjacent ends of the faces. The plug is free from any shoulders or surfaces facing toward, and aligned with, faces or shoulders facing toward the inner end. An elastomeric gasket having an inner face resiliently engaging the seating face in embracing relation is provided. It has a radial cross section such that it cannot roll about its circumferential axis and thus off of the end of seating face. The gasket fits in sealing relation to the seating face and the surrounding inner wall of the pipe bell in which the plug is installed. The main advantage is that the plug is of a shape that can be molded readily in a very simple mold, and yet, in combination with a proper gasket, seals effectively.

C United States Patent [151 3,675,685 Potter [451 July 1 l, 1972 [54]PIPE STOPPER FOR BELL AND SPIGOT TYPE OF TILE Primary Examiner-WilliamE. Wayne! Arrorne \'-.lohn Harrow Leonard [72] Inventor: Charles Potter,Lakewood, Ohio [73] Assignee: Amvlt, Cleveland, Ohio [57] ABSTRACT [22]Filed: Sept 3. 1970 A pipe stopper is receivable in the bell ofa belland spigot pipe for plugging the bell passage. It is a molded plug ofstiff set PP plastic having a cylindrical peripheral face which isspaced from its inner end and a peripheral seating face extendingtherefrom entirely to the inner end of the plug. An abrupt {if}lif'ifiiiiji:ii1111:?'"""'""""311????f33973i2i25i5generallyradiallymdinsshwwflmamm- 5s Field of Search I 38/89; 277 207 B193- jacem 9 The M any zgslzsr 220)) surfaces facing toward, and allgnedwlth. faces or shoulders facing toward the inner end. An elastomericgasket having an I 56] References Cited inner face resiliently engagingthe seating face in embracing relation is provided. It has a radialcross section such that it UNlTED STATES PATENTS cannot roll about itscircumferential axis and thus off of the end of seating face. The gasketfits in sealing relation to the 2,28 l ,l45 4/l942 Duey l 38/89 seatingf and the sun-ounding inner wa|| f the pipe be" in 2531659 I, filsfner Xwhich the plug is installed. The main advantage is that the plug 3194174slmlberg "220/46 is of a shape that can be molded readily in a verysimple mold, 1644978 7/l953 Becker-M l 38/89 x and yet, in combinationwith a proper gasket. seals effectively. 3.073.609 l/l963 Hamilton....277/207 B 3,578,027 5/l97l Zopli I 38/89 6 China, 6 Drawing figuresPIPE STOPPER FOR BELL AND SPIGOT TYPE OF TILE This invention relates topipe stoppers and particularly to pipe stoppers which are receivable inthe bell of a bell and spigot type tile for plugging the bell passage.

In the laying of bell and spigot pipe lines, particularly vitrified belland spigot sanitary sewer tile, each of a number of tiles along the lineis provided with a lateral tap-in in the form of a lateral sleeveintegral with, and generally of smaller diameter than, the pipe andtenninating outwardly in a bell for receiving the spigot of the terminalpipe of a lateral pipe line. Since these tap-ins are for receiving thesanitary sewer lines from houses which will be built at some indefinitefuture date, whereas the main sewer line is installed a considerableperiod before the houses are built, it becomes necessary, pending theinstallation of lateral drains from the houses, to plug temporarily thebells of the lateral tap-ins. A number of types of stoppers for thispurpose have been provided, one such being disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.3,4l2,759, of Potter et al, issued Nov. 26, I968. The present inventionis a simplified type of stopper which in many cases may be used in lieuof the stopper of the above identified patent. It is one which can bemade readily with a very simple mold and which depends for itseffectiveness upon a combination therewith of an elastomeric gasketwhich effects a sealing relation between a peripheral wall portion of astopper and inner wall of the tap-in bell, as defined in many cases bythe true-up lining thereof. and which remains fixed in position on thestopper during installation and use.

The advantages of the present stopper over those heretofore provided isits extreme simplicity and ease of installation.

Various specific objects and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent from the following description wherein reference is made to thedrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a stopper embodying the principles of thepresent invention;

H0. 2 is a right end elevation of the stopper illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a left end elevation of the stopper illustrated in F 1G. 1;

FlG. 4 is a diagrammatic illustration, partly in section, showing thestopper installed in a tap-in bell of a pipe;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of a portion ofthe pipe with the stopper of the present invention installed therein;and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the structure illustrated inFIG. 5 showing in greater detail the cooperation of the gasket with itsassociated stopper and bell.

Referring first to FIG. 1, the stopper comprises a unitary plug 1 ofrelatively stiff, hard molded material which may be any one of theconventional plastics which are resistant to ground water chemicals andsewage. The plug 1 comprises basically a relatively stiff central wall 2which may have a peripheral bead portion 3 at its inner face and havingan exterior peripheral seating wall 4 extending from its outer facepartway toward the opposite or outer end of the plug. The wall 4 for thegreater portion of its axial length is coextensive with the thickness ofthe wall 2 so as to be reinforced thereby against radial distortion. Theplug also has a peripheral wall 5 extending outwardly endwise of theplug from the outer end of the wall 4. The wall 5 is of greater diameterthan the seating wall 4 and the juncture between the two is in the formof an abrupt generally radially extending stop shoulder 6.

At its outer end the peripheral wall 5 is provided with an annular rim 7which extends radially outwardly from the wall 5. The rim is relativelystiff, but resilient. When the plug is installed in the bell of a tap-inT, as illustrated in FIG. 5, of a pipe P, the rim 7 overlies the outerend wall of the bell, thus limiting the extent to which the stopper canbe inserted and also providing a means to be grasped for removing thestopper from the bell when desired. In the form illustrated, theinterior of the bell is shown as having a true-up lining L of plasticcomposition molded in situ and providing the inner peripheral wall andradial shoulder S of the bell.

The wall 2 is reinforced against radially inward collapse by a pluralityof radial reinforcing webs 10 which preferably are about six in numberspaced equidistantly about the axis of the wall 2. The webs l0 terminateaxially at the outer end of the peripheral wall 5.

Near its center the wall 2 carries a thick wall socket 11 which isintegral with the wall 2 and with the inner ends of the reinforcing websit).

Mounted on and in elastically embracing stressed relation to the seatingwall 4 is an elastomeric gasket 12 which may be a gasket such asdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,510,139, of Charles Potter, issued May 5,I970. The advantages of this specific type of gasket and the manner inwhich it effectively seals are disclosed in the above patent. Here it ispointed out briefly that the gasket main body in radial cross sectionhas an inner wall portion 13. which is lineal axially of the gasket. andan outwardly convex wall 14, which may be substantially hemispherical.At the radially outermost portion of the wall 14. which is midwaybetween the ends of the gasket, a small peripheral bead 15 is provided.It is so related to the gasket main body that after the stopper isforced into the bell, the bead first provides a light sealing engagementwith the bell wall and then, as the bell pressure increases due tofurther inward travel of the stopper, bends over and against the convexwall 14 so as to provide a greater sealing pressure when the stopper isfinally installed.

The wall 2 and peripheral wall 4 offer sufficient resistance so that thegasket can be flexed into tight sealing relation, as i1- lustrated inFIG. 6, merely by pushing the stopper axially into the bell. The beadportion 3 of the end wall 2 permits some latitude in installation inevent of small variation in the normal shape of the shoulder S so thatit offers a firm seating relation against the shoulder S.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the main sanitary line, including the pipe Pis installed in the main trench A. The lateral or tap-in T of one of themain pipes extends into a widened trench portion 8 such that the stopperis relatively close to the earth forming the wall C of the trenchportion B. The stopper 1 is installed in the bell of the lateral tap-inT and biocked to hold the stopper in place and prevent its being forcedout of the tile by hydrau lic pressure within. For blocking a stiffmember D, such as an ordinary stick, board or brick may be used. One endor corner of the member is seated in the socket 11 and the other end orside is forced into the earth so that the stopper is wedged or pressedtightly against the radial shoulder of the bell at the inner end of thebell.

When a lateral sanitary line is to be connected, the line may be laid toa location close to the bell. The stick, or other blocking memberemployed, and stopper are then removed, and the spigot of the terminallateral drain tile is then installed in the bell.

It is to be noted that each of the side walls 4 and 5 is of uniformoutside diameter for its full length and each is essentiallycylindrical, except for a very slight radially inward taper toward theinner end of the plug which is provided for draft to facilitate removalof the stopper from the die. Due to the elimination of a seating groovein the wall 4, such as required for O-ring seals, the stopper can bemolded as a unitary structure in a simple two piece mold.

Without such a groove, the gasket 12 retains its position on the wall 4in endwise abutting relation to the shoulder 6 without rolling andtwisting.

It is apparent that the present stopper can readily be installed byunskilled labor with assurance that it will maintain an effective seal.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim:

1. A bell pipe stopper comprising:

a one piece plug of relatively stiff and hard, but slightly flexible,molded plastic, said plug having a thick imperforate bottom wall and aperipheral seating face extending from the innermost end of the outerperiphery of the bottom wall outwardly endwise of the plug at least tothe outer end of said bottom wall;

said plug having a shoulder extending outwardly laterally from said facenear the outer end of said bottom wall and facing toward the inner endof the plug;

said face being substantially cylindrical throughout its length;

said plug being free from any surface portions between its ends facingother aligned surfaces which face toward the inner end of the plug; and

a detachable elastomeric gasket in resilient embracing relation to saidface and abutting said shoulder and substantially coextensive axiallywith said bottom wall and having a substantially cylindrical inner facein tight resilient embracing relation to said seating face, and havingan outwardly convex outer peripheral face with its outermost portion oflarger diameter than the shoulder characterized in that the bottom wallof the plug has a peripheral annular end bead portion at its innersurface, said bead portion having a narrow inner end face offset, in adirection away from the outer end of the plug axially of the plug, fromsaid inner surface of the bottom wall.

2. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the plug has at its outerend a radially outwardly, extending annular flange of larger diameterthan said shoulder and spaced axially of the plug therefrom.

3. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the plug is in- .fi.stalled in a ceramic pipe having a bell for receiving the spigot of aconnected pipe;

the plug is received in said bell and blocks the passage therein;

J said seating face is spaced inwardly from the inner peripheral wall ofthe bell; and

the elastomeric gasket is in resilient embracing relation to said faceand is also in stressed sealing engagement with the inner peripheralwall of the bell.

4. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the bottom wall, at itsouter face, has at its midportion a brace receiving socket openingoutwardly endwise of the plug.

5. The structure according to claim 4 wherein the plug has an outerperipheral wall portion between said shoulder and the outer end of theplug and reinforcing ribs are provided which extend from the outerperipheral wall of the socket to said outer peripheral wall portion ofthe plug.

6. The structure of claim 4 wherein said socket is relatively deep andis in the form of a peripheral side wall integral with the bottom walland external from and beyond the outer face thereof toward the outer endof the plug and said plug further including reinforcing ribs integralwith the plug and said peripheral wall so as to reinforce saidperipheral wall against deflection transversely of the plug.

1. A bell pipe stopper comprising: a one piece plug of relatively stiffand hard, but slightly flexible, molded plastic, said plug having athick imperforate bottom wall and a peripheral seating face extendingfrom the innermost end of the outer periphery of the bottom walloutwardly endwise of the plug at least to the outer end of said bottomwall; said plug having a shoulder extending outwardly laterally fromsaid face near the outer end of said bottom wall and facing toward theinner end of the plug; said face being substantially cylindricalthroughout its length; said plug being free from any surface portionsbetween its ends facing other aligned surfaces which face toward theinner end of the plug; and a detachable elastomeric gasket in resilientembracing relation to said face and abutting said shoulder andsubstantially coextensive axially with said bottom wall and having asubstantially cylindrical inner face in tight resilient embracingrelation to said seating face, and having an outwardly convex outerperipheral face with its outermost portion of larger diameter than theshoulder characterized in that the bottom wall of the plug has aperipheral annular end bead portion at its inner surface, said beadportion having a narrow inner end face offset, in a direction away fromthe outer end of the plug axially of the plug, from said inner surfaceof the bottom wall.
 2. The structure according to claim 1 wherein theplug has at its outer end a radially outwardly, extending annular flangeof larger diameter than said shoulder and spaced axially of the plugtherefrom.
 3. The structure according to claim 1 wherein the plug isinstalled in a ceramic pipe having a bell for receiving the spigot of aconnected pipe; the plug is received in said bell and blocks the passagethereinto; said seating face is spaced inwardly from the innerperipheral wall of the bell; and the elastomeric gasket is in resilientembracing relation to said face and is also in stressed sealingengagement with the inner peripheral wall of the bell.
 4. The structureaccording to claim 1 wherein the bottom wall, at its outer face, has atits midportion a brace receiving socket opening outwardly endwise of theplug.
 5. The structure according to claim 4 wherein the plug has anouTer peripheral wall portion between said shoulder and the outer end ofthe plug and reinforcing ribs are provided which extend from the outerperipheral wall of the socket to said outer peripheral wall portion ofthe plug.
 6. The structure of claim 4 wherein said socket is relativelydeep and is in the form of a peripheral side wall integral with thebottom wall and external from and beyond the outer face thereof towardthe outer end of the plug and said plug further including reinforcingribs integral with the plug and said peripheral wall so as to reinforcesaid peripheral wall against deflection transversely of the plug.